EQUIPMENT AND METHOD FOR THE AUTOMATIC MANAGEMENT OF CUPS CONTAINING BIOLOGICAL SAMPLES

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to equipment and a method for the automated management of a plurality of biological samples each placed in a sampling pot for the purpose of analyses intended to establish a diagnosis.

[0002] Typically, pathology laboratories receive freshly collected biological samples every day, placed in formalin jars of various sizes, which they record in their computer system before submitting them to various analysis methods. These are selected on a case-by-case basis and commonly involve a real journey of these biological samples within the laboratories, during which they are handled by different specialists or technicians and consequently moved many times.

[0003] In practice, in the best case scenario, analyses carried out in a single step using all the material taken from the same patient, and therefore all the material contained in the same pot, can lead to the establishment of a reliable diagnosis.

[0004] However, one or more steps consisting of studying the material, fraction by fraction, using different methods, are often necessary to obtain a diagnosis considered satisfactory.

[0005] Typically, large surgical specimens, for which only certain parts seem a priori relevant for establishing a diagnosis, may be concerned by such treatment. In fact, additional analyses, carried out using new fractions, regularly prove necessary, and therefore require finding the initial container in which the residual part is preserved to continue the investigations.

[0006] In any case, the regulations in force require pathology laboratories to keep any fraction initially excluded from the analysis process, in the original sampling container, until the definitive diagnosis is established, in order to be able to use it at a later stage, and to carry out any additional analyses.

[0007] Furthermore, in certain cases, secondary cytological examinations are necessary to confirm or refute the results of primary tests, and also require storage, until the final result, of the biological sample in question in its original formalin jar.

[0008] Biological samples such as biopsies are generally extracted as is in their entirety from their formalin pot for integration into a paraffin block, which can then be used to create slides for microscopic observation. However, it should be noted that some pots may contain several biopsies taken from the same patient, which may result in different paraffin blocks produced at different times. Such biopsies must also remain in the formalin of the initial sampling pot until all the blocks have been produced.

[0009] It is clear from the above that pathology laboratories are faced with a first organizational constraint, assuming the possibility of quickly and reliably locating a biological sample, and consequently the sampling container in which it is stored, in order to carry out or finalize diagnoses and propose appropriate treatments, while sparing patients from new untimely samples caused by a possible loss of material, and likely to generate significant stress.

[0010] On the other hand, in all cases, after a mandatory retention period, which typically ends two to four weeks after publication of the diagnostic report, the sampling pots and any residues of biological material they still contain can be destroyed, which in particular makes it possible to free up space to accommodate the new pots and work in the best-organized environment possible.

[0011] Being able to quickly and reliably identify and locate the sample containers to be destroyed represents a second challenge for pathology laboratories, which currently have no rational solution or specifically designed equipment to achieve this objective. In fact, traditionally, the containers present in laboratories are simply stored haphazardly in baskets, allowing them to be transported in a grouped manner, and remain there throughout the process. At the end of this process, manual sorting, carried out using a list generated via the laboratory's computer system, is generally necessary to extract from these baskets the sample containers for which destruction is authorized. Obviously, this method of proceeding is tedious and does not exclude the risk of error.

[0012] In short, pathology laboratories are currently experiencing a considerable loss of time and efficiency as they have no rational solution for managing the biological sample containers they are responsible for. This situation is also likely to worsen as the number of containers to be processed is constantly increasing due, among other things, to the aging of the population and the increase in the incidence of certain diseases such as cancer.

[0013] The object of the present invention is to propose equipment and a method specifically designed to enable rational management of biological samples and the pots containing them by pathology laboratories or by any equivalent service responsible for carrying out analyses and establishing diagnoses. More specifically, one objective of the invention is to propose equipment and a method making it possible to guarantee the traceability of biological samples contained in sampling pots, throughout their storage period in such pots, and to proceed quickly and automatically to their extraction from their storage location and then to their destruction at the appropriate time without risk of error and loss of samples which could prove detrimental to patients.

[0014] To this end, the present invention relates to equipment for the automated management of a plurality of biological samples each placed in a sampling pot according to claim 1.

[0015] According to a first characteristic of the invention, the means for driving the receptacle in rotation are defined by a shaft mounted in rotation in the cavity of said device while the receptacle consists of a plate having a lower face and an upper face comprising said housings, said shaft and said plate having means for temporarily assembling the plate to said shaft, designed to be capable of locking the plate in rotation relative to said shaft.

[0016] According to a possible alternative embodiment, the assembly means comprise a tip of polygonal section extending a free end of the shaft and an orifice of a shape complementary to the section of the tip extending from the lower face of the plate through at least part of the thickness of the latter.

[0017] Furthermore, in order to have a universally usable receptacle, it was thought of equipping it with housings having shapes and dimensions that vary from one another, and can therefore simultaneously accommodate pots of different shapes and dimensions.

[0018] Advantageously, said housings and / or said sampling pots may further comprise anti-fog means for ensuring proper positioning of a pot in a housing. Such a feature makes it possible to limit any problems or faults in reading the data encoded by the reading means with which the device is equipped, thanks to proper orientation of the pots in the direction of said reading means.

[0019] The equipment according to the invention is further characterized in that it comprises an additional encoded data reader connected to said computer processing means. In this case, it was imagined to supplement the equipment with an additional device for reading encoded data, in particular of the “barcode scanner” type, allowing rapid verification of the contents of a sampling pot stored in a given storage means. Such a barcode scanner may also have a display screen allowing an operator to directly view the results of his checks.

[0020] Furthermore, in accordance with the invention, the equipment may also comprise at least one piece of furniture designed to accommodate a plurality of receptacles.

[0021] Furthermore, it has also been imagined that the receptacle with which the equipment according to the invention is provided can include means for signaling the position of pots for which a given event is detected, said signaling means being connected to the computer processing means.

[0022] An additional characteristic of the equipment according to the invention is defined by the fact that it can comprise means for automatic extraction of said receptacle of pots for which a given event is detected, said automatic extraction means being connected to the computer processing means.

[0023] The invention also relates to a method for the automated management of a plurality of biological samples each placed in a sampling pot according to claim 10.

[0024] Furthermore, an additional feature is that upon detection of said given event, means are triggered for automatically extracting the pots from the receptacle contained in the equipment.

[0025] The present invention will be further detailed in the following description, given with reference to the appended figure, provided as a non-limiting example, and illustrating a simplified view of an alternative embodiment of the equipment according to the invention.

[0026] As indicated above, the present invention relates to equipment 1 for the automated management of a plurality of biological samples 2 each placed in a sampling pot 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., generally of tubular shape, comprising a bottom 30 surmounted by a peripheral wall 31 and closed by a cover 32.

[0027] As illustrated in the figure 1, the equipment 1 comprises at least one receptacle 4 for storing sampling pots 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., defined here by a tray having a lower face 40, and an upper face 41 in which a plurality of housings in the form of hollows 5a, 5b, 5c, etc., of a shape complementary to a bottom 30 of a sampling pot 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., have been provided. Conventionally, after introduction of a biological sample 2 into a pot 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., encoded identification data, for example in the form of a bar code or matrix code 6a or RFID chip, are affixed directly to the peripheral wall 31 or the cover 32 of each pot, or by means of an adhesive label 6 stuck on one and / or the other of these same locations. It should be noted that in the illustrated embodiment variant, the housings 5a, 5b, 5c, etc., have shapes and dimensions that vary with respect to each other, which makes it possible to store on the same receptacle 4 sampling pots 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., of varying shapes and dimensions.

[0028] The equipment 1 further comprises at least one device 7 in the form of a housing, delimiting a cavity 8, shaped to accommodate at least one receptacle 4. The cavity 8 is equipped with reading means 10a, 10b of the encoded identification data affixed to the peripheral wall 31 and / or the cover 32 of the sampling pots 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., placed in the receptacle 4. These reading means can be defined for example by one or more light scanners 10a, 10b of encoded data, in particular of the bar code or matrix code 6a type, or RFID reader(s), mounted appropriately in the cavity 8, for example on the peripheral wall 11 or the cover 12 of the housing delimiting the cavity 8.

[0029] In addition, the apparatus 7 also comprises means for determining data representative of the position of each sampling pot 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., within the receptacle 4, such as for example means for detecting numbers 12a or letters 12b, or any other form of any nature, appearing in relief or in hollow in the immediate vicinity of each housing 5a, 5b, 5c, etc. These means for determining data representative of the position of each sampling pot 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., may be independent of the means 10a, 10b for reading encoded data. However, in addition to the function of reading encoded data, the latter may be designed in such a way that they can also fulfill the function of detecting and reading shapes appearing in relief or in hollow in the vicinity of said housings 5a, 5b, 5c, etc.

[0030] It should also be noted that means for driving the receptacle 4 in rotation, defined by a shaft 13 mounted in rotation in the cavity 8 of the apparatus 7, make it possible, when a receptacle 4 provided with pots 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., is inserted into the apparatus 7, to direct each pot successively in front of the reading means 10a, 10b so that the latter record the encoded data affixed to the cover 32 or the peripheral wall 31 thereof, and possibly the data 12a, 12b, representative of the position of each sampling pot 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., on the receptacle 4, or otherwise also in front of the means for determining data representative of the position of each sampling pot when they are independent of the reading means 10a, 10b.

[0031] In this regard, it may advantageously be provided that the housings 5a, 5b, 5c, etc., and / or the sampling pots 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., comprise anti-fog means making it possible to ensure suitable positioning of the pots 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., in the housings 5a, 5b, 5c, etc., and this in terms of orientation of the encoded data in the direction of the reading means 10a, 10b of the encoded data. In short, such anti-fog means allow an operator in charge of positioning the pots 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., in the tray 4, to arrange them spontaneously and without fumbling in such a way that the label 6 which they comprise is systematically oriented in the direction of the reading means 10a, 10b when each pot arrives opposite the latter.

[0032] Another characteristic of the invention is defined by the fact that the shaft 13 and the receptacle 4 have temporary assembly means comprising, in the example illustrated, an end piece 14 of polygonal section extending a free end of the shaft 13 and an orifice 15 of a shape complementary to the section of the end piece 14 extending from the lower face 40 towards the upper face 41 of the plate 4. Thus, the receptacle 4 is fixed relative to the shaft 13 and inevitably follows the rotational movement of the latter during operation of the device 7.

[0033] Furthermore, the equipment 1 is supplemented by computer processing means, of the computer type 18, connected to the device 7 by data transmission means 16, wired or wireless, and integrating a software application executed for * record in memory means, for each pot 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., in an associated manner, the identification data that it contains, the data 12a, 12b, representative of its position within the receptacle 4 and data relating to a history of the biological sample that it contains, * detect the occurrence of a given event in the history of each pot 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., and * generate via a user interface, such as a screen 17, a list indicating the identification data of the pots 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., for which the event is detected and their position 12a, 12b within the tray 4.

[0034] An additional encoded data reader 9, in particular of the manual “scanner” type, connected to said computer processing means by a wired or wireless link 19 is also provided in the illustrated embodiment variant of the equipment according to the invention. As indicated previously, such a scanner can advantageously integrate a screen allowing immediate reading of the data collected.

[0035] On the other hand, the tray 4 may also include means for signaling the position of pots 3a, 3b, 3c for which a given event is detected, such as in particular indicator lights and / or means for emitting sound signals installed on the tray 4 in the vicinity of each housing 5a, 5b, 5c. The activation, by the computer processing means, of one or more of these signaling means allows an operator to immediately detect the pot(s) 3a, 3b, 3c to be extracted, without having to consult the list displayed on the screen 17 of the computer 18.

[0036] In addition, means for automatically extracting said tray 4 from pots 3a, 3b, 3c for which a given event has been detected can further advantageously supplement the equipment 1.

[0037] Advantageously, the equipment according to the invention may further comprise at least one piece of furniture, such as for example a box or a cabinet, provided with drawers or rails, designed to accommodate a plurality of trays 4, for example in a superimposed manner in drawers or secured to the rails and then extending along one or more columns. In this regard, an alternative embodiment may be provided in which the equipment comprises a gripping arm, controlled by the computer processing means, and designed to extract pots 3a, 3b, 3c from trays 4, themselves stored in such a piece of furniture.

[0038] In practice, the equipment 1 according to the invention allows rational and automated management of sampling pots 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., by the competent pathology or medical analysis services, through the implementation of simple, effective and reliable steps consisting of: To place, upon their arrival in a laboratory, a plurality of sampling pots 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., provided with identification data 6a affixed to their peripheral wall 31 and / or their cover 32 in the housings 5a, 5b, 5c corresponding to the shape of the pots considered, of at least one tray 4, For each pot 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., placed in the tray 4, to be recorded and recorded by means of the apparatus 7 and the computer processing means 18, in an associated manner its identification data 6a, the data 12a, 12b representative of its position within the receptacle 4 and the data relating to the history of the biological sample that it contains.More precisely, the latter can be manually entered into the computer processing means 18 by means of, for example, a keyboard 20, and correspond to all the events concerning the biological samples placed in the pots (date of collection, date(s) of analysis, date of issue of the diagnostic report, etc.). To configure the software application that the computer processing means 18 comprise in such a way that it detects the occurrence of a given event, in the data relating to the history of the biological sample contained in each pot, this given event being for example defined by a date t corresponding to the date t0 on which a diagnostic report relating to a biological sample was issued plus a period t1, for example at least equal to two weeks. To retrieve on the screen 17 or, where appropriate, that of the scanner 9, a list indicating the identification data of the pots for which the given event is detected and their position within the receptacle 4, or to locate said pots on the latter through the visual and / or audible signaling means that it comprises, And finally to extract from the tray 4, where appropriate by the implementation of automatic extraction means, the pots 3a, 3b, 3c, etc., for which the given event is detected, in order to proceed with their destruction.

[0039] In other words, the equipment 1 according to the invention makes it possible to have information at any time concerning the location of a given biological sample thanks to a rational storage of the sampling pots in receptacles and, where appropriate, in dedicated furniture elements, and to the recording, in the computer system, of the position of each pot, associated with the identification data that it contains through the device 7. Thus, it is possible to quickly find a given sample, simply by interrogating the computer system and locating, where appropriate, the cabinet, the tray 4 and then the corresponding location on the latter. At this stage, a verification, by means of a scan carried out manually with the barcode scanner 9, can be carried out by an operator in order to guarantee that the pot found does indeed contain the biological sample sought.

[0040] Furthermore, the equipment according to the invention also makes it easier to sort the pots and quickly separate the pots to be destroyed from those to be kept, the latter no longer being stored pell-mell in baskets but carefully arranged on trays 4 or receptacles comprising housings that are easily identifiable and associated with said pots in the computer processing means, capable of generating a list of pots containing biological samples that have given rise to the establishment of a diagnosis, for example at least two weeks before the date on which the list is generated.

[0041] With regard to the final steps of the present method, it should be noted that the invention has provided that advantageously, upon detection of said given event, the means for signaling the position of the pots 3a, 3b, 3c to be extracted that said receptacle 4 comprises can be automatically triggered, allowing an operator to identify at a quick glance the pots to be destroyed. This saves him from having to use the list displayed on the screen of the scanner or computer.

[0042] According to an additional alternative, upon detection of said given event, it is also possible, within the framework of the present method, to trigger means for automatically extracting the pots 3a, 3b, 3c from the receptacle 4 which the equipment 1 comprises, thus avoiding any manual intervention by an operator.

Claims

1. [Apparatus (1) for the automated management of a plurality of biological samples (2) each placed in a sampling jar (3a, 3b, 3c) comprising a base (30) on which a peripheral wall (31) is mounted and which is closed by a lid (32), the apparatus (1) comprising: - at least one container (4) for storing sampling jars (3a, 3b, 3c), having a plurality of recesses (5a, 5b, 5c) which are complementary in shape to a base (30) of a sampling jar (3a, 3b, 3c), - at least one device (7) in the form of a housing delimiting a cavity (8), which cavity is shaped to accommodate at least one container (4) and is equipped with means (10a, 10b) for reading encoded identification data (6a, 6b) affixed to the peripheral wall (31) and / or the lid (32) of the sampling jars (3a, 3b, 3c) placed in the container (4), means for determining data representative of the position of each sampling jar (3a, 3b, 3c) within the container (4), characterized in that the container comprises, in the immediate vicinity of each recess, a recessed or raised shape (12a, 12b), the shape (12a, 12b) defining the data representative of the position of each sampling jar (3a, 3b, 3c) within the container (4), while the means for determining data representative of the position of each sampling jar (3a, 3b, 3c) within the container (4), with which the cavity of the device (7) is equipped, are defined by means for detecting any shape, the cavity also being equipped with means for rotating the container (4), and the apparatus further comprising: - computer processing means (18) which are connected to the device (7) by wired or wireless data transmission means (16) and integrate a software application which is executed to: * store in memory means, for each jar (3a, 3b, 3c), in combination, the identification data (6a) that it comprises, the data (12a, 12b) representative of its position within the container (4), and data relating to the history of the biological sample (2) that it contains, * detect the occurrence of a given event in the history of each jar (3a, 3b, 3c) and generate via a user interface (17) a list indicating the identification data (6a) of the jars (3a, 3b, 3c) for which the event is detected and the data (12a, 12b) representative of the position within the container (4) of the jars (3a, 3b, 3c) for which the event is detected.

2. Apparatus (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for rotating the container (4) are defined by a shaft (13) rotatably mounted in the cavity (8) of the device (7), while the container (4) consists of a tray having a lower face (40) and an upper face (41) comprising the recesses (5a, 5b, 5c), the shaft (13) and the tray (4) having means for temporarily assembling the tray (4) to the shaft (13), which means are designed to prevent rotation of the tray (4) relative to the shaft (13).

3. Apparatus (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the assembly means comprise an end piece (14) having a polygonal cross-section, which end piece extends from a free end of the shaft (13), and an orifice (15) which is complementary in shape to the cross-section of the end piece (14) and which extends from the lower face (40) of the tray (4) through at least part of the thickness of the tray.

4. Apparatus (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the recesses (5a, 5b, 5c) of the container (4) have shapes and dimensions that vary from one another.

5. Apparatus (1) according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the recesses (5a, 5b, 5c) and / or the sampling jars (3a, 3b, 3c) comprise foolproofing means to ensure appropriate positioning of a jar (3a, 3b, 3c) in a recess (5a, 5b, 5c).

6. Apparatus (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an additional encoded data reader (9) connected to the computer processing means (18).

7. Apparatus (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container (4) comprises means for signaling the position of jars (3a, 3b, 3c) for which a given event is detected, the signaling means being connected to the computer processing means.

8. Apparatus (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means for automatically extracting, from the container (4), jars (3a, 3b, 3c) for which a given event is detected, which means are connected to the computer processing means.

9. Apparatus (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one furniture element designed to house a plurality of containers (4).

10. Method for the automated management of a plurality of biological samples (2) each placed in a sampling jar (3a, 3b, 3c) comprising a base (30) on which a peripheral wall (31) is mounted and which is closed by a lid (32) by means of the apparatus (1) according to any of the preceding claims, in which the following steps are carried out: - a plurality of sampling jars (3a, 3b, 3c) that have identification data (6a) affixed to their peripheral wall (31) and / or lid (32) are placed in the recesses (5a, 5b, 5c) of at least one container (4), - for each jar (3a, 3b, 3c) placed in the container (4), the identification data (6a), the data (12a, 12b) representative of its position within the container (4) and data relating to the history of the biological sample (2) it contains are collected and stored by means of the device (7) and the computer processing means (18) in combination, - the software application contained in the computer processing means (18) is set so as to detect the occurrence of a given event in the data relating to the history of the biological sample (2) contained in each jar (3a, 3b, 3c), - the user interface (17) automatically displays a list indicating the identification data (6a) of the jars (3a, 3b, 3c) for which the given event is detected and the data representative of the position within the container (4) of each sampling jar (3a, 3b, 3c) for which the given event is detected, - the jars (3a, 3b, 3c) for which the given event is detected are extracted from the container (4) and destroyed, characterized in that, in order to collect the data representative of the position of each sampling jar (3a, 3b, 3c) within the container (4), recessed or raised shapes (12a, 12b) in the vicinity of each recess (5a, 5b, 5c) which define the data representative of the position of each sampling jar (3a, 3b, 3c) within the container (4) are detected, and means are used to detect any recessed or raised shape in the immediate vicinity of each recess.

11. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that when the given event is detected, means for signaling the position of the jars (3a, 3b, 3c) to be extracted, which means the container (4) comprises, are automatically triggered.

12. Method according to any of claims 10 or 11, characterized in that when the given event is detected, means for automatically extracting the jars (3a, 3b, 3c) from the receptacle (4), which means the apparatus (1) comprises, are triggered. ]